X-bit labs

Started by: Joz | Date 03/28/08

Comments: 12 | Last Comment:  05/19/08

[1-9]

1. I want to comment.

"The dollar (via) is looking strong."
As more news comes out, i get the feeling that nvidia knows something about Isaiah that we dont.

2. Hi,

there are 2 errors in the article:

a) VIA dessoved his chipset division, there is no new development of VIA chipsets.

b) VIA has officially its own bus, that is correct, however, it is based on Intels P4 quad-pumped PSB, therefore I assume that it is quite easy for nvidia to develop a chipset for it. Actually I guess that the current nv-intel chipsets would run. In any case, definitly no "considerable redesign"

cheers

Alex

You sir, are in error. Inteligence DENIED!


1. VIA still has a chipset division, but ONLY for its own CPUs.

2. The VIA V4 bus is not based off of Intel's bus. It is unique.

Shall't I summon you a teacher schooled in the great arts of LEARN TO DO SOME FUCKING RESEARCH, sir?

Who are you ? 25 year old teenager still sitting in high school ? Please mind your words, otherwise you appear quite uneducated to others ... if that's not your intention, that is.

a)
VIA's chipset division is dissolved and merged with the CPU division:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/chipsets/display/20080103095924_Via_Chipset_Market_Withdrawal_Rumours_Resurface.html

So officially, there is a chipset devision, correct, however the engineers already left last year:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/chipsets/display/20070907072516.html

Granted, there are "some" engineers left at VIA, however as it is already mentioned here, a small chipset business without high volume is a burden:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/chipsets/display/20080103095924_Via_Chipset_Market_Withdrawal_Rumours_Resurface.html

Therefore it makes sense to cancel the chipset division an use some low cost nvidia chipsets. However, this just makes sense, if nvidia could easily reuse intel chipsets, otherwise a 3rd party chipset development would be even more expensive than in-house development.

and indeed ....

b) the V4 bus is mechanically based upon AGTL+ bus. The hardware is compatible, differences are on the protocol level, only.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20050518045045.html

Just think about it, why should VIA reinvent the wheel ? They just have to avoid patent infringements. That is easily done by using a slightly different protocol. It was the same in the late 1990s with the Cyrix cache bus, using a linear burst, vs. Intel uses a patented interleaved burst:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5862154.html

There are also VIA chipsets available which support both, Intel AGTL+ & VIA V4 bus:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20050817203056.html

Do you really think that there are two totally different chipsets in the package ?

cheers

Alex

3. go competition... if the chipsets are really tht good then i would consider buying a VIA processor...

4. Too bad they are just single-core,but it should still beat the hell
out of the anemic C7's[like Everex used in their gPC's].Maybe Isaiah
will become"the little chip that could".

5. Hi, just to mention that VIA processors use Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 FSB... So nVidia will NOT have to considerably redesign existing core-logic sets to make them work with Via CPUs...
Perhaps you missed a page or two in CPU history?
Regards

6. Low cost means low profit margins, so Nvidia is either desperate or believes Isaiah will bi big or is trying to push VIA out of the market of chipsets for it's own CPUs so they can take them over more easily.

I find the first possibility improbable, and the second or the combination of second or third much more likely to be true.

7. More buggy Nv chipsets to hit the market................no thanks

8. MCP79 for VIA:

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/Nvidia_Prepares_MCP79_Chipset_For_VIA_Isaiah_CPUs/5671.html

MCP79, are these that chipsets:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/mcp_intel_techspecs.html ?


Alex

Finally! The VIA platform is growing some BALLS!

I'll hold out for a dual core Isaiah with Nvidia chipset! :-D

9. Intel and AMD don't need Nividia. They could cut them off and increase there own market shares. Nividia is simply getting ready just in case they do. There is alot of money to be got by doing this, don't be surprised if they already are doing something that Nividia knows about.

[1-9]